This is a fascinating series of charts that show, since Eisenhower, the polarization of the American society, the gap between the Democrats and the Republicans. For our friends from Europe, the red line is the approval rate of the president by Republicans and the blue line by Democrats.

You will notice that until Reagan, the 2 groups were not very far apart and the 2 lines more or less follow each other according to the main events of the time. With Reagan, the gap is a little bigger but look at how the Democrats were flirting with him (they passed the 50% dividing line).

Under Clinton, the gap starts widening. With W and Obama, it's a BIG gap. And now with trump, it's HUGE. You can see the trend at first glance on those graphs.

2 decades ago and more, you could sit at the Christmas dinner table with your in laws, and disagree with them but after a beer ir two, you could all give a toast to the president: the divide was OK. It was healthy. Stimulating. With some exceptions, you could lose your elections and feel OK the next day: It was not too much of a drama. You could move on after losing your election. When some posters on this board were telling some of us a few months ago: Move on! You lost! Accept it and move on! They were referring to that period in time that I just described. Today, it's a totally different matter. The divide is no longer a funny thing. It goes to the core of 2 distinct groups. It has become non negotiable.

Sources: Gallup; Quinnipiac University Poll